MN REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE PLAN:

Good ideas and troubling proposals

(St. Paul, Minnesota) - There are favorable and flawed ideas in the Health Care Cost Containment Act of 2004, according to the St. Paul-based Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC). An overview of the proposal's 36 ideas was released last Thursday by the Minnesota House Republicans.

"While Republicans have listed many good ideas in their ambitious plan for cutting health care costs, we are troubled by a few of their proposals," says Twila Brase, president of CCHC.

"Because 'best practices' is becoming the code word for restricting the delivery of health care services, the following proposals raise concern that health care will be rationed," says Brase.

empower health plans to reward best practices

challenge provider groups to promote/reward best practices

promote chronic care (disease management) best practices

protect providers who use "best practices" from lawsuits

"Rewarding compliance with a health plan's or government's version of best practices promises to switch the focus of doctors from patients to payment," cautions Brase. "If implemented, these so called best practices may penalize doctors who think outside the box or try to customize their practice to meet the individual needs of patients."

Proposed immunity from malpractice lawsuits is particularly concerning to CCHC. Brase says that providing doctors who follow "best practices" with protection from litigation will drive doctors into compliance:

"Those who follow the approved cookbook for medical practice will not have to face the consequences of bad decisions," Brase says.

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